On Loyalty
by illmatchtheminrenown
Summary: Some things, some people, can never be replaced. Luckily, sometimes they don't have to be after all. And sometimes, people take you by surprise. ***A sequel to my previous fic "Every Day."*** This is my longest and proudest fic to date- reviews/comments are much appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

Captain John Hart stood at his window, looking out over the early evening as the city lights began to come on. Drink in hand, he considered the day he'd had and the feeling of uselessness that had long been building. If he was honest- and he hated to be- it had been building for over a year- ever since he'd seen his old partner leading the fight against the 456. Today had just been the most recent reminder that he was getting older and really had nothing to show for his life.

He'd been heading out earlier when a blue police box caught his eye that he was pretty certain hadn't been there before. As he scanned the area as he had for the past year to check on someone from a distance, the door of the box opened and the captain himself got out. To John's infinite shock, Jack was leading a very familiar young man in an impeccable suit, who was most certainly _not_ dead after all. The way Jack looked at the handsome Welshman- John was surprised and annoyed to feel twinges of jealousy, which only got worse as memories came to mind: Jack's slight hesitation when saying Ianto's name the first time they met, Ianto's expression when he asked how John and Jack had been partners, Jack in a bar, so distraught that John began secretly keeping an eye on his old partner. In case he needed something again from the immortal, he told himself.

John had followed them to a nondescript house, within earshot enough to learn about Ianto's newfound immortality. He observed Jack telling Ianto to wait for a minute, then walking up the front walk. Jack stopped halfway, turning and striding back to his lover, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and a surprisingly gentle kiss on his lips. After Ianto went in- to see his sister, apparently (John heard them planning to find Gwen and start to rebuild Torchwood tomorrow), John left.

So Jack and Eye Candy, back together, ready to save the world forever. John took another drink as his thoughts wandered to love and loyalty. Cynical and self-serving, John hated admitting that he envied them that, and their purposefulness. A dashing Time Agent, cocky and clever, and what did John have? No one, nothing, and most certainly no heroism. Once, he'd thought Jack had gone soft; now, he saw his partner had made a better life for himself and earned the utter loyalty that comes with love.

But it hadn't only been Ianto, had it? John mused upon people he'd met years ago, a dysfunctional but effective team who, together, were a match for anything. Flashes of memory rushed through his head. A team bursting in on his meeting with Jack, determined and protective of Jack and each other. And, in an image almost comical, four guns trained on him in perfect unison, their owners glaring with identical fury. That, John thought, was loyalty. Had he ever been on the giving or receiving end of that sort of fierce care for someone else? Answering silently, John shrugged on his coat and walked outside to a certain destination.

* * *

"You owe me. That man who escaped somehow, and I brought him back here. Could've helped him get away, but I didn't. So you owe me." John stood in the eerie house, arguing with the deep voice of the master spirit who guarded the darkness.

"Indeed. But that is only one. You ask for two."

John squared his shoulders with a cocky grin. "I have a plan for that, too."


	2. Chapter 2

It had taken a long, long time, moving infinitely among other unfulfilled souls in the blackness, for them to find each other. So when they finally did, they refused to be separated, never releasing the other's hand. And when a crack of light appeared in the darkness and began to draw them like a magnet, they only tightened their hold on each other.

"Hold onto me, alright? Close your eyes and do _not_ let go!" the man commanded. The woman obeyed, burying her head in his chest as he folded her smaller frame tightly into his arms. Clinging to each other, they were pulled further and further into the blinding light until, with a sudden jolt, they fell forward onto a solid floor. Upon feeling the discomfort of contact with the ground, they realized they were no longer in empty space but in the real world, with real bodies. A strong pair of arms reached down and pulled them, somewhat roughly, to their feet. As they straightened up, they received the biggest shock of all when they saw the man who had just helped them.

"What the hell is going on? And why are _you_ here?" the young man spat angrily, protectively pulling the woman behind him. John laughed, but his eyes betrayed his haste. Moving quickly to a table, he pulled out a paper and scribbled a note. As he wrote, he talked, addressing the confused and wary pair.

"I need you to listen to me. Carefully. Ianto's alive. He and Jack are going to find Gwen tomorrow, they're going to rebuild. I'm sure you can find where you need to go? When you get there, would you-" His voice shuddered slightly for the first and only time. "-Would you give this to Jack?" John held out the note to the woman, who took it, a spark of empathy in her dark eyes. "Now get out. Before it opens and takes you back with it." Seeing the man about to argue, John yelled, "Go! NOW!" as the crack reappeared. The young man seized his companion's hand and ran out, turning back to glance at the man who had apparently saved them somehow as he was pulled into an expanding darkness. Speechless, they stumbled onto the busy street of the Welsh night.

* * *

"I don't-" she began.

"Me neither," he finished. Taking a deep breath, he tried to pull it together. After all, he'd been through a similar situation before, hadn't he? His training kicked in and his voice took on a practical tone.

"Alright. Give me your hand. I wanna check your pulse, make sure it's, you know, _there_." He smiled slightly, taking her small wrist and feeling the blood throbbing through her veins. Meeting her eyes, he dropped her hand and reached for his own.

"You don't have to do that," she said. Glancing away slightly, she explained, 'When we came through, I- I could hear your heartbeat come back." She smiled a bit.

"Well, then." He looked around. "God, I'd forgotten what this was like. Actual night, with stars and everything. Not just- dark, you know?"

"Yeah. I know what you mean."

"I suppose- we should probably check that everything else is working. Medically, you know." He paused, then offered her his arm, half-jokingly. "How 'bout we check digestion first? How's dinner sound?"

She slipped her arm through his. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

Ianto stood at the entrance to the Hub, unmoving and tense. He relaxed slightly as his lover came up behind him and affectionately squeezed his shoulders.

"I never knew if I'd see this place again."

Jack pressed a kiss to Ianto's temple. "I know. Come on. Its Tuesday- she always comes here on Tuesdays."

Ianto slipped his hand into Jack's strong one. "Then I guess we should go give her a little surprise."

"Yep. About time we interrupt her for a change." Chuckling at the memory, the men entered the headquarters hand in hand.


	3. Chapter 3

"Gwen?" Jack called out as he entered the control room. A sudden yell told him he'd located his friend. Whipping into sight, she launched herself at him, alternating punching and hugging the grinning captain. Carefully disengaging himself, he kissed her cheek, then stepped back.

"Been traveling with the Doctor, Gwen. He gave me a gift. Thought I'd come share it with you." As Gwen's expression changed to confusion, he grinned at the doorway and Ianto entered the room.

Gwen shrieked, "Ianto!" before heedlessly dashing straight into his arms. She supposed she should have been worried about _how _exactly he could be alive, or alien tech, or something. But at that moment, all Gwen could do was pull both her dear boys to her as tightly as she could, their alternating heartbeats comforting proof that they were, indeed, alive and here with her. Ianto felt a familiar rush of affection for the woman he had once regarded rather less warmly because of her interest in Jack. At the same time, he couldn't help missing the woman he'd just left. As much as he had come to see Gwen as family, he'd grown to love Rose just as much, and, to be honest, he missed her. Finally, the three of them separated, Gwen actually brushing away tears.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

Gwen collapsed into a chair, thoroughly stunned by the story Jack and Ianto had just told her, which apparently involved a parallel universe, a vortex creating immortality, and of course, that Doctor. Jack sat right next to her, anxiously watching her expression. A familiar scent jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Ianto approaching, holding out a cup of tea for her, then bringing cups for himself and Jack before sitting on her other side. The familiarity of this simple gesture brought a smile to her face and returned a bit of normality to their world.

"What are you thinking?" Jack asked, in a surprisingly gentle tone. Gwen managed another smile at her friends.

"Besides that you two are gonna be even more annoyingly in sync in a few centuries?" Ianto looked a bit abashed, while Jack just smirked. "Out of all of us, I'm the only one who's never died. And I'm just glad at least you two came out of it. And that you won't be lost again, like-" She cut off, as the mood shifted to somber memory.

"I still miss them too. Well, of course I miss her- she was my best friend. But, you know, I even miss him, even his insults. Never thought I'd say that," Ianto said in a low voice.

"I know. Me too." Jack agreed, while Gwen only managed to nod her assent.

A sudden noise made them all jump to their feet, drawing guns in precise unison as they always had towards the source.

"Well, that's very good to hear. Or this would be awfully awkward." The speaker, a young man, stepped forward, with a second person at his side. The shock nearly made the three agents drop their guns.

Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato stood before them, very much alive.

"Well, this is turning out to be one hell of a day," Jack commented.


	4. Chapter 4

Regarding the pair warily, Ianto was the first to break the ice. "Right then. Well, maybe I'm biased, all things considered, but after everything, this would hardly be the least believable thing I've seen." He lowered his gun despite a warning look from Jack, some instinct telling him it was safe. Gwen followed suit, but Jack didn't yet.

"We at least ought to check and make sure it's really them. Ask them something only they'd know," he said. The other two considered. To everyone's surprise, Ianto once again was the first to speak.

"Fair enough." Ianto stepped away from Jack and Gwen, positioning himself alone in the center of the room. "Tosh? Come here," he asked. The others were puzzled; even Tosh was a little uncertain as she obeyed, walking to Ianto and standing on his right side. Without warning, Ianto turned to her and picked her up in an enormous embrace. As he set her down, he grinned. "Whenever we went somewhere, Tosh always stood- stands- on my right. I think it started as protocol, but just kind of became habit. And that's where she came. It's her- it's really her."

Gwen strode to her friend and hugged her tightly. Trusting Ianto's judgment, Jack too pulled Tosh to him, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Owen still stood there, starting to glower.

"All right, now for the good doctor. Anyone?" Gwen bit her lip upon Jack's question. Owen noticed her discomfort and flashed back to a memory he had a feeling she was remembering too.

"Gwen-"

"Sorry, Owen. But it's the only thing I can think of." She met his eyes, then asked, "When we were hiding in the Hub from the cyberwoman," -Ianto flinched, "-where were you, and what happened? That only you and I know about?" Owen's face turned a rather interesting color, much to Jack's amusement. Before he spoke, though, Gwen grinned.

"With that reaction, you remember! All good, it's him!" She crossed the floor and threw her arms around him; after a moment's hesitation, he smiled and hugged her back. First Ianto, then Jack, came up, offering a handshake and quick hug.

"Now that's all out of the way, d'you think you two could explain _how_ exactly it is you're here?" Gwen asked.

Owen spoke, slowly at first. "We were in the darkness. It was all black, we were lucky to find each other. Then this crack of light appeared. Didn't seem to affect the others, but it drew us in. We ended up inside this old building, somehow alive again. And," he exchanged glances with Tosh, "there was a man. He told us that tea-boy here was alive, to come here today, and then made us leave- we saw the darkness swallow him up as we did. Once we got our bearings, I checked we both had a pulse. Since we both seemed mentally alright- no amnesia or anything- figured we should make sure we were medically fine. Ate something to check digestion, that sort of thing. All physical functions were fine, and today we came here." The others absorbed all this. Jack had another question, and he would have asked it if he hadn't noticed Tosh's blush and slight glance at the floor on Owen's final sentence. Quickly doing the math, a smirk spread over his face as he looked at the pink-cheeked woman who was still oblivious to his observation.

* * *

"Tosh, you're awfully quiet over there." By now, the others had seen Jack's smirk. Ianto had followed his partner's gaze and, coming to the same conclusion, was starting to grin too. Owen's short temper was also about to explode, but he wasn't quick enough to stop the captain from addressing a reddening Tosh. "Were you not satisfied by Owen's-"

He was cut off by an outburst the likes of which they'd never seen from mild Tosh.

"Shut _up_, Jack! Like it's any of your bloody business! And so what if we did? As I recall, you and Ianto used to go at it all the time, even around here! At least we had the decency not to shag at work! Or maybe we will, yeah?" Tosh grabbed the front of Owen's jacket, yanking him down to kiss him defiantly. As he wrapped his arms around her, Owen responded so intensely that Ianto had to clear his throat to remind them of their audience. Now their faces were matching shades of red, but they did not let go of each other's hand.

"Explanation," Jack said into the silence. "The end of that sentence was going to be 'explanation,'" he finished, but with a glint in his eye that suggested the exact opposite. As everyone burst into laughter, Tosh suddenly remembered something. Before she could speak, Jack had asked his original question.

"But seriously, who was the man who helped you? Did you see his face? Did he say his name?" Owen and Tosh glanced at each other, the mood in the room shifting. Tosh spoke, softer and kindly.

"Yeah. Jack- it was John Hart." Jack paled slightly, while Ianto tensed beside him. "He- he asked us to give you this." She held out the letter. Without breaking contact with Ianto, whom he'd felt tense, Jack reached out and took the letter, which he read silently.

* * *

_Jack,_

_By now you'll already know what's happened. You see, I figured out a while back that you were the better man. You've actually done good, Jack, and you've got people who are utterly loyal to you and who've got your loyalty in return. And somehow, I don't pretend to understand, your little team actually works. Me, I've only given and received that kind of loyalty once. Long ago._

_I followed you and your boyfriend today. I suppose I'm glad he's alive and immortal, mostly because it'd be a shame to waste Eye Candy on nuisances like old age and death. Pity we'll never get around to that orgy. But you do look at him like you've never looked at anyone. I know. To complete your team, I got these two back. The house of the dead was in my debt for one soul and I'm a fair trade for a second. Only heroic thing I've ever done, eh, Jack?_

_Tell them I'm sorry, yeah? Especially Gwen- I'm afraid I was less than a gentleman to her. And __Eye Candy__ Ianto too. May as well be honest at this point: I didn't like him for the same reason he didn't like me. And we all know what that was._

_Take care of yourself, alright? You die far more often than can possibly be good for you. Besides, the world apparently needs you and your whole little team, so try to stay alive this time._

_You probably still want to know why I've done this. Just to put your team back together? No. That one person, who ever showed me loyalty, who I was loyal to and felt that way about? It was you. Always was you._

_Goodbye, Jack._

_-John_


	5. Chapter 5

The five stood in a half-circle in the house of the dead, drawing slightly closer together as the voice spoke and a shadow appeared.

"You are intriguing, immortal, you and your companions," it commented, an almost amused tone in the deep eerie voice. As a man in a red jacket fell out of the darkness, it added, "You have ten minutes." Owen and Tosh instinctively stepped forward, each gently taking one of his arms and helping him to his feet, trying to put as much gratitude as they could in that small action. John straightened up, brushing himself off, and looked at the gathered team.

"What…Why?" For once, John was speechless. He had gone into the darkness, sure he'd never see anyone again and just hoping their work would help him come to peace one day.

It was Owen who spoke first, in a far gentler tone than he usually used. "We came to say thank you. For bringing us back, for-"

"-For saving us," Tosh finished, locking fingers with her newfound love. "We're all together because of you. We couldn't let things end without saying thank you."

"And goodbye," Gwen added. John glanced from the couple to her. Even after their encounters in the past, she spoke kindly, almost sympathetically. Remembering his suspicions about her feelings in the past, he had an uncomfortable feeling it was indeed complete understanding and empathy in her gaze.

John found his voice. "Well. That was-" His voice cracked and sarcasm failed him. "Quite nice, to be honest." He stood a bit awkwardly.

Tosh stepped forward first. Gently, she reached up, placed her hands on his shoulders, and brushed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. So much," she whispered to the surprised captain.

Owen came next. Though his posture was as proud as ever, his eyes were calm as he offered John his hand. "Thanks, Captain. You're all right, you know." John smiled as he shook the hotheaded medic's hand.

Gwen approached, her head tilted as if considering him. This time, it was John who crossed the gap, reaching out for Gwen's hand, which he pressed to his lips. "I _am_ sorry, Gwen. Look after yourself, beautiful, won't you?" After a pause, she hugged him quickly.

"Goodbye, John."

Ianto and John looked at each other, the tension and awkwardness palpable. Finally, Ianto extended his hand.

"John." The captain grinned, then hugged a yelping Ianto.

"G'bye, Eye- Ianto." Then, before he released him, he whispered so only the Welshman could hear, "Take care of him." As they separated, the eyes of two men so different in every way met in a look of understanding.

"Well, then. I guess this is goodbye." Jack looked at his team and his partner at his side, then extended his hand to John. Before John could take it, Ianto rolled his eyes.

"Don't be daft, Jack. Give him a proper goodbye." He stepped away, moving toward the door. "Come on, you lot. Let's wait outside. Jack-" he interrupted, seeing the older immortal about to protest, "-it's alright, cariad. Really." Nodding to John, he herded the other three out, leaving the two captains alone.

"You don't deserve him, you know."

Jack was smiling slightly, remembering how much he had missed hearing that Welsh endearment. "Oh, believe me, I do know." He paused, then took a couple steps closer to his old partner. "John, your note-"

"Was the truth. I don't do loyalty. I don't care what happens to other people. But you," he finished simply, "I cared." He took a breath, knowing they were numbered. "You've got Ianto, and let's face it, Jack, you look at him like he's your world. Not your shag, not your teammate, your whole damn world. And I've known that from the first time I saw you two in the same room. But still," he concluded, "I cared."

"So did I," admitted Jack. There was no harm in it. He had cared for John; just because he loved Ianto now and would forever didn't erase that.

"Goodbye, Jack." John took the final step to close the gap between them. Gently but firmly, Jack placed his hands on John's shoulders and kissed him. John responded with equal solidity and gentleness. This was the memory he wanted to take with him. As they broke apart, the shadow reappeared, and John was pulled towards it.

"Goodbye, John." The last thing John saw was the only face he'd ever loved, gently and warmly seeing him over the threshold.

This time, to his surprise, he was not consumed by darkness and that gnawing feeling of unfulfillment, but light and, most of all, peace.


	6. Chapter 6

The five stood in the Hub in a sort-of circle, still stunned by the day's events and just taking in each others' presence. Jack kept his right arm securely around Ianto's waist, enjoying the familiar comfort of his lover's hand resting on his shoulder. He hadn't realized until now just how much he'd missed something as ordinary as the pressure of Ianto's hand, slightly protective and eternally steady- just like Ianto himself. Ianto, for his part, was more content than he ever thought he could have been, given that Jack had just been alone with John. But he and Jack had forever ahead of them- and that was more than enough for him. On Jack's other side, Gwen surveyed the room, thinking about how much she had to tell Rhys when she got home. This morning, she thought she'd be alone in the Hub all day, with nothing but the ghostly memories of her friends to keep her company; having them all back was more than she could have ever dreamed. On Ianto's right, Tosh stood, with both her arms locked around Owen's waist. He kept her close, pressing a smile and kiss into her dark hair, his surly expression softened.

Jack cleared his throat. "I just want to say- it's good to have you back." He met the eyes of each of his friends- his family- in turn. "All of you." Suddenly, Jack was reminded of another time when he'd said and done something so similar- it seemed like so long ago. The captain had lived too long and hard a life to be prone to displays of affection- Ianto excepted, of course. But on instinct, he tightened his hold on Ianto and reached out to fold Gwen into his other side. Wordlessly, Ianto wrapped his free arm around Tosh. Finally, Owen allowed Tosh and Gwen to pull him in, closing the loop and turning the loose circle into a tangle of arms tightly holding each other as no one shifted, no one thought, they just breathed.

Jack lifted his head for a moment. "This is really cheesy." A chorus of laughs and murmurs of assent came from the entangled team. No one moved.


End file.
